Eimog - Scenario

Eimog is a post rock band formed in Agrigento, Italy, in 2006. Since their first live appearances, they have been steadily attracting the attention of both audience and critics by staging awe-inspiring, emotionally transcendent atmospheric performances. This is their first full-length album, released in 2009. Although their music does not really offer something new, it is still the kind of emotional, beautiful post-rock music that most of us loved. Recommended!

Artist: Eimog
Album: Scenario
Year: 2009
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Saved By Thirteen
2. Until Death Do Us Part
3. Jana
4. Building Empires Upon This Landscape
5. May Tries To Be June
6. Madre

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Dextro - Winded

Dextro is the music production alias of Scottish artist Ewan Mackenzie. Under the Dextro moniker he has released a number of works, most notably to date the album "Consequence Music" and the 12” single "Do You Need Help". This is his latest album, released on 16K records in 2009. His music combines ambient with post-rock and electronica. Really good!

Artist: Dextro
Album: Winded
Year: 2009
Genre: ambient, post-rock, instrumental, electronica

Tracks:
1. Closer
2. The Pacifist
3. Momentary
4. The Unknown
5. Ilm
6. Sanna
7. Ring Cycle
8. Pillar
9. Distance

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

World's End Girlfriend - Ending Story

World’s End Girlfriend (ワールズ・エンド・ガールフレンド) is Katsuhiko Maeda, a musical genius from Nagasaki but based in Tokyo, Japan. I have already posted his last year's soundtrack, Air Doll. This one is his first album released on Yoshihiro Hanno’s Current label in 2000, which caught people’s attention in Japan and abroad. No need to say much about this artist. One of the greatest musicians in the world. Get it now!

Artist: World's End Girlfriend
Album: Ending Story
Year: 2000
Genre: electronica, ambient, post-rock, experimental, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Listening You
2. Magical Romantic Freestyle
3. Heartbreak Wonderland
4. Cruel Girl’s Beauty
5. Air Reason
6. Purple Orange
7. Red Red Red
8. A Faint Melody
9. Ending Story
10. Birthday

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

If you find a place where I can buy the CD, please post the link here.
Until then, check the comments to listen.

J.Viewz - Muse Breaks

J.Viewz is a multi-genre project of electronic-music producer Jonathan Dagan. This is his debut album, released in 2005 by Deeplay Music. Taking many diverse musicians into the studio, The J.Viewz project started to metamorphosize into 'freestyle chill' – blending elements of soft breakbeat, trip-hop, 2 step, jazz and more, all in a mellow groove. Great!

Artist: J.Viewz
Album: Muse Breaks
Year: 2005
Genre: trip-hop, chillout, electronica, downtempo

Tracks:
1. Under The Sun
2. Muse Breaks
3. Worth Light
4. When Silent It Speaks
5. Your Country
6. Room For Me, Room For Sweets
7. Meantime
8. Sunswoop
9. Feeler
10. Two Steps Away
11. Protected

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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A Backward Glance on a Travel Road - A Backward Glance on a Travel Road

Featuring the base line-up of French metal experimentalists Hypno5e, this band gives the same universe of depth and dark ambience. Along with the Hypno5e base line-up, they include another guitar, cello, chants, tribal percussion and video projections warped from Emmanuel Jessua’s (guitars, vocals, piano, samples) own signature archives and movie extracts. Plus, it’s all done acoustically, while keeping the progressive and epic feel, mood swings from haunting to hopeful, and guitar tones as deep as the abyss. This is their debut album and is available for free download. Really good!

Artist: A Backward Glance on a Travel Road
Album: A Backward Glance on a Travel Road
Year: 2009
Genre: experimental, acoustic, dark

Tracks:
1. Regular Barbary
2. Falling
3. Johnny Got His Gun
4. In Absentia Part I
5. In Absentia Part II
6. Hier Régnant Désert
7. Approximativement Moi

Last.fm
MySpace

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Emancipator - Safe In The Steep Cliffs

Emancipator is the project of Doug Appling, producer/multi-instrumentalist living in Portland, Oregon, USA. He self-released his first album, Soon It Will Be Cold Enough, at the age of 19 in 2006. His agile melodies layered over headnodic, immaculately-produced beats captivated fans across the internet and across the world. This is his latest album, released last month. It blends new instrumentation and organic samples with the signature Emancipator style of clean production, silky melodies and addictive drums. Dense layers of choirs, horns, American folk instruments such as the banjo and mandolin, violin and some distinct Asian influences make for a playful but refined album built out of intricate tracks listeners can enjoy on as many levels as they want. Dance to it, chill out to it, immerse your mind in it. Awesome!

Artist: Emancipator
Album: Safe In The Steep Cliffs
Year: 2010
Genre: trip-hop, electronica, downtempo, instrumental, ambient

Tracks:
1. Greenland
2. Black lake
3. Jet stream
4. Kamakura
5. All through the night
6. Old devil
7. Nevergreen
8. Ares
9. Rattlesnakes
10. Bury them bones
11. Vines
12. Hill sighed
13. Siren
14. Safe in the steep cliffs

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy a physical copy from his website (store coming soon) or download from bandcamp ($10).
Check the comments to listen first.

Rykarda Parasol - Our Hearts First Meet

Rykarda Parasol is an American artist who creates beautiful dark rock music, similar to PJ Harvey and Elizabeth Anka Vajagic. This is her first full-length album, released in 2006. Often compared to Nick Cave, Nico and the Velvet Underground, and Johnny Cash, Parasol weaves intricate tales infused with dark meaning and simmering atmosphere. The end result is a highly stylized aesthetic of both sound and imagery. Most of the lyrics on “Our Hearts First Meet” are drawn from Parasol’s personal life and sewn into cohesive songs which, though seemingly simple, offer themselves up for multiple interpretations. This is a must-have for everyone! Absolutely brilliant!

Artist: Rykarda Parasol
Album: Our Hearts First Meet
Year: 2006
Genre: rock, dark, folk, blues

Tracks:
1. Good Sick
2. Hannah Leah
3. Night on Red River
4. Lullaby for Blacktail
5. Weeding Time
6. Arrival, A Rival
7. Candy Gold
8. Good Fall
9. How Does a Woman Fall?
10. En Route
11. Lonesome Place
12. Texas Midnight Radio
13. Weeding
14. Good Sick II
15. Janis, Don't Go Back

Official Website
Last.fm
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This is a self-released album. Please support by buying from here.
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Bosques de mi Mente - Lo-Fi

Bosques de mi Mente (Spanish for Forests of my Mind) is an independent project started in 2007 in Spain. The music is melancholic, piano-based ambient/neo-classical. All the albums are available for free download from the artist's website. Recommended!

Artist: Bosques de mi Mente
Album: Lo-Fi
Year: 2007
Genre: ambient, neo-classical, piano, melancholic

Tracks:
1. Paseo 1, primavera 5:17
2. Los titánicos esfuerzos de una bicicleta oxidada por avanzar
3. Un niño que ya no existe jugando con el viejo piano
4. Paseo 2, verano (la niña de Hiroshima)
5. Tormenta de verano
6. El amanecer reflejado en tus ojos, parte 1
7. Paseo 3, otoño
8. El mensaje de las ballenas
9. El amanecer reflejado en tus ojos, parte 2
10. Paseo 4, invierno (el largo y tedioso camino a casa)
11. Cuando se hayan ido todos, tan solo quedará el crujir de sus columpios al viento

Official Website (free albums here!)
Last.fm
MySpace

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Solanaceae - Solanaceae

Solanaceae is the creation of Kim Larsen (also of ":Of the Wand and the Moon:" and "Saturnus") from Denmark. This project portrays a more psychedelic folk feeling than usually put forth in his other bands. This is his first album as Solanaceae and features 13 songs with themes of magick, woods and mysteries. If you like psychedelic folk, neo-folk, apocalyptic-folk etc., you will love it! Recommended!

Artist: Solanaceae
Album: Solanaceae
Year: 2009
Genre: psych-folk, neo-folk, dark, folk

Tracks:
1. I Saw Them Through The Pines / They Only Walk On Moss
2. Through The Trees Spears The Sun
3. Fenella
4. The Blood Of My Lady
5. O Deep Woods
6. Nakkiel II
7. Midnight Garden
8. Samorost
9. The Blood Of My Lady II
10. Hemlock And Mandrake Fields
11. The Swallows Spirals Through Them
12. Nihil Sum
13. I Saw Her Through The Pines

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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Utomlyonnye solntsem - Burnt by the Sun (1994)

Directed by Russian director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov, "Burnt by the Sun" is a powerful portrait of the viciousness during the Stalin era. It combines brilliantly history and drama, beautifully written and acted, it is a fantastic chronicle of love, family and the intrusion of politics.

Oleg Menshikov delivers an outstanding performance as Mitya, while the acting of Mikhalkov himself and his daughter, Nadezhda Mikhalkova, is also wonderful. Moreover, the photography of the Russian countryside is beautiful.

Overall, a great film about all those people "burnt by the sun" of revolution! Highly recommended!

There is a sequel coming out this year. Even though a sequel is usually a bad idea, Mikhalkov is a great director and you never know... :)

More info:
Wikipedia
IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes

The trailer is stupid, so here is a musical part from the beginning of the film:

Pertegò – Hjarta

Pertegò is a four-piece artistic project from Piacenza, Italy. Their music is influenced by "northern-ambient sounds", and blends elements from post-rock and cinematic music. This is their first album (after their demo), released in 2008. Really beautiful music!

Artist: Pertegò
Album: Hjarta
Year: 2008
Genre: post-rock, ambient, instrumental, cinematic

Tracks:
1. Hjarta
2. Bideri
3. E/Pallatio
4. Summer Night Games
5. Dova
6. Dance
7. Vigo
8. Bideri Evo FF

Last.fm
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The album is sold out. Go here for other releases.
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Rome - Flowers from Exile

Rome is a Luxembourgish dark folk act founded in late 2005 as the main output for the songs of Jerome Reuter and was joined by co-producer Patrick Damiani as official member in early 2008. In 2009, violinist Nikos Mavridis officially joined the band to further contribute to the creation of their unique sound, which they themselves refer to as Chanson Noir. Rome's music blends excellent songwriting craftsmanship, unusual arrangements and fine poetry into a musical output that combines chanson, dark ambient, apocalyptic folk, acoustic rock, cold wave – all rolled into one impressive avant-garde package. Highly recommended!

Artist: Rome
Album: Flowers from Exile
Year: 2009
Genre: folk, dark

Tracks:
1. To A Generation Of Destroyers
2. Accidents Of Gesture
3. Odessa
4. The Secret Sons Of Europe
5. The Hollow Self
6. A Legacy Of Unrest
7. To Die Among Strangers
8. A Culture Of Fragments
9. We Who Fell In Love With The Sea
10. Swords To Rust-Hearts To Dust
11. Flowers From Exile
12. Flight In Formation

Official Website (go here to buy)
Last.fm
MySpace

Check the comments to listen before you buy.

The Boats - Los Musicos Perdidos

The Boats is a three-piece post-rock band from Melbourne, Australia. This is their first full-length album, released in 2007. The Boats are an atmospheric, dynamic and a beautifully improvised instrumental experience, creating sonic sketches of looped guitars, bass and drums. Dark and beautiful. Recommended!

Artist: The Boats
Album: Los Musicos Perdidos
Year: 2007
Genre: post-rock, experimental, dark

Tracks:
1. Warmth From A Window
2. 2 AM
3. The Sea Is In The Boat
4. Los Musicos Peridos
5. Strawberry
6. Little Black Rays Of Hope
7. Alone In Us (I Hope)
8. Asylum

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

Buy from CB Baby.
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Kaada - Junkyard Nostalgias

John Erik Kaada is a musical artist and composer from Stavanger, Norway. He has been working as a composer of film music and as a extensive touring solo artist. This is his most recent album, released in 2009. It's not easy to put his music in one genre. I'd say that combines neo-classical with electronica and experimental music. In any case, excellent album; highly recommended!

Artist: Kaada
Album: Junkyard Nostalgias
Year: 2009
Genre: neo-classical, electronica, experimental, instrumental

Tracks:
1. A day and a night and a day
2. Truth serum
3. Ode to the old flesh
4. Hammering down the nails
5. Dragging an ox
6. Marja Dalia, The Polska Bogini
7. Broken Horse Restaurant
8. Late bloOmer Gipsiara
9. The Hermetic Bird
10. All the things that grow old and pass away
11. We salute you, polish working man

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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Grande Duke - Grande Duke EP

Grande Duke is a trio from Derby, UK. This is their debut EP released a few days ago on Fight Me records. Their music combines elements from post-rock, post-metal, math-rock and jazz. The latter is definitely the most promising part of this EP. Give it a try!

Artist: Grande Duke
Album: Grande Duke
Year: 2010
Genre: post-rock, post-metal, instrumental, jazz

Tracks:
1. Stonecutter
2. Duke of Rain
3. Lunacy by Sea Wind
4. Chora

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

Please support this band. Buy from here.
Check the comments to listen first.

Many thanks for this Sean. Much appreciated!

The American Dollar - Atlas

Started by two high school friends from Queens, New York, in 2005, The American Dollar creates cinematic, electronica-tinged instrumental rock. The duo fuses processed drums, spacious keyboards and powerful organ swells with electric guitar and bass, creating deep sonic textures while maintaining the passion and energy of a live band. The swirling soundscapes build and swell, punctuated by glitchy beats, breathing and expanding into crashing guitars and soaring leads: precisely constructed symphonies for a new era. A great band; this is their most recent album, released earlier this year. Recommended!

Artist: The American Dollar
Album: Atlas
Year: 2010
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, ambient, cinematic

Tracks:
1. A Few Words
2. Age of Wonder
3. Fade In Out
4. Shadows
5. Oil and Water
6. Circuits
7. Red Letter
8. Clones
9. Equinox
10. Second Sight
11. Frontier Melt
12. Flood
13. Escapist

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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Aufgang - Aufgang

Aufgang is a French trio comprised of Juilliard-trained pianists Francesco Tristano and Rami Khalifé as well as drummer Aymeric Westrich. They explore the line between avant-garde, modern classical and four-to-the-floor drumming. This is their debut, released in 2009. Excellent mixture of piano, drums and electronics!

Artist: Aufgang
Album: Aufgang
Year: 2009
Genre: electronica, piano, experimental

Tracks:
1. Channel 7
2. Channel 8
3. Barock
4. Sonar
5. Prelude du passé
6. Good Generation
7. 3 vitesses
8. Aufgang
9. Soumission

Last.fm
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